Last updated 19Mar02

Here are a selection of photos I've taken of historic railroad snow removal equipment I've seen during my travels. For more information and more pictures of railroad snow removal equipment, visit Andrew Toppan's The Railroad Snow Fighting Equipment Photo Gallery

Denver, Colorado - The Forney Transportation Museum

Here's a retired UP snow plow at the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, CO. I took this photo in 1995. (70K 720x352 jpg)

Here's the rotary snowplow after being repainted in 1998. The entire Forney Museum is being moved to a new location in December 1998. (56K 752x384 jpg)

Chama, New Mexico - The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Here are the two Rotary Snowplows at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad yards in Chama, NM. The OY is still used to open the line over Cumbres Pass in years of heavy snow fall.

Former D&RGW narrow gauge rotary OM in storage accross from the station at Chama in 1995. The locomotive stored behind it is 2-8-2 K37 class #492. (58K 768x416 jpgjpg)

Former D&RGW narrow guage rotary OY is stored on a spur near the shops with some MOW equipment in the 1995 photo. The OY is occaisonally used in late April or early May to open the C&TS line for the operating season. (48K 720x368 jpg)

1996 finds the OY with a new cab and a return to gray paint. (55K 768x432 jpg)

This storage track at Chama is home for flangers OJ, OK, OL, Jordan spreader/ditcher OU and derrick OP. (69K 768x432 jpg)

Hermiston, Oregon - Hodge Park

Built by Lima-Baldwin-Hamilton in 12/1949, this steam rotary was last used on the Rock Island in 3/1977 and was retired in 6/1985. (67K 768x512 jpg)

Originally a steam plow built by Alco in 2/1910, this plow was converted to electric operation by the CMStP&P. It was transferred to the UP in 1982 and retired in 1988. (81K 768x512 jpg)

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Golden, Colorado - The Colorado Railroad Museum

D&RGW narrow gauge flanger OC was used to clear the snow and ice that would accumulate between the rails. The engineer of the locomotive pulling the flanger would use a valve in the cab to raise and lower the flanger's blades when highway grade crossings or switches were encountered. The switch target was used to verify the position of the blades. (82K 768x512 jpg)

This former Colorado & Southern rotary is stored accross the road from the museum. It saw service on both narrow and standard gauge tracks. (96K 768x512 jpg)

This home made wedge plow was used on the CB&Q and was based out of Cheyenne WY. The bed of the plow would be filled with rocks and scrap to provide weight to help keep the plow on the rails while being pushed through heavy snow and drifts. When the CB&Q donated this plow to the CRRM, it was filled with 25 tons of rock! (53K 768x384 jpg)

Snoqualmie, Washington - The Northwest Railway Museum

Northern Pacific steam rotary #10 was built for the NP by Alco-Cooke as a coal burner in November 1907. The original wood body was replaced with a steel one at an unknown date and the plow was converted to use oil in 1947. The body is mounted on unsprung plate trucks to prevent excessive bouncing when the plow was in operation. The #10 was placed on King County's list of Historic Places in 1996(?).

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Here's a side view of #10. (55K 768x432)

Here's a picture of the fireman's station on #10. The #10 was an oil burner and you can see the controls for controlling the oil jets to the left of the firebox.

Here's right rear quarter view of #10 showing the tender. (53K 768x432 jpg)

Looking into the maw of the beast. (42K 512x560 jpg)

Here's the #10 after being repainted in 10/99. (55.5K 704x336 jpg)

Cle Elum, Washington

I was over in the Cle Elum and Easton areas in the summer of 1999, and noticed two of these units. One in Easton, and one in Cle Elum. The pictured unit is the one in Cle Elum since I could get closer to it. The units have flangers and ditchers and this one is stenciled with it's apparent build date: 12-36. These two snowplows are positioned for apparent use on BNSF's secondary mainline through the Washington Cascades, Stampede (Pass) Tunnel. (46.8K 672x416 jpg)

Here's a view of the back of the unit. If anyone can tell me more about these units, I'd appreciate hearing from you. (53K 672x416 jpg)

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